The perils and plights of adolescence have long been a source of fascination for television audiences. That’s particularly apparent nowadays with Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, FX, and others vying for zeitgeist dominance with teen-focused dramas playing to a variety of creative strengths. As narratives have gotten more sophisticated overall across the TV landscape, it makes sense that the ways in which we look at stories about young people have also evolved. From “Never Have I Ever” to “Yellowjackets,” TV teens in 2023 are among some of the most rich ever written.
Because life as a teenager is equal parts happy and sad, hilarious and tragic, horny and horrifying, the following curation does not limit selections by genre, meaning: These picks range from animation to sitcoms to murder mysteries to science fiction. That said, there are also a fair number of picks that are entirely focused on the dramatic ups and...
Because life as a teenager is equal parts happy and sad, hilarious and tragic, horny and horrifying, the following curation does not limit selections by genre, meaning: These picks range from animation to sitcoms to murder mysteries to science fiction. That said, there are also a fair number of picks that are entirely focused on the dramatic ups and...
- 5/9/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
As Netflix’s library of films ebbs and flows, finding the right movie to watch can feel like bailing out an ocean with a spoon. And if you’re looking for a quality horror movie in particular, the search only gets harder. With the reality that Horror is one of the cheapest genres to produce, streamers like Netflix are cluttered with a veritable tsunami of bloody titles that sometimes seem indistinguishable from one another.
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
If you’re looking for a good horror movie to watch on Netflix that will truly scare you, picking a final selection can prove a more daunting task than sitting through yet another “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch; with or without its beloved “Bly Manor” chaser. But while the streamer’s priorities seem to shift as quickly as its content selection grows, Netflix’s horror library remains a high point — with original triumphs, including Guillermo del Toro...
- 5/7/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: this list was originally published in July 2017. It has been updated multiple times with new entries.]
Both on the awards circuit and in the public consciousness, HBO is widely regarded as among the first Hollywood heavyweights to recognize that television, as a medium, had the power to deliver sprawling, large scale stories on a smaller screen. From HBO’s ascent in the late 1990s through its dragon-aided roar across the 2010s, the network’s original series tackled universal stories, stretching across continents and decades.
The network hasn’t been without controversy, though. HBO faced questions about its lack of diversity in flagship series, including “Game of Thrones” and “Girls,” throughout the 2010s. And, unshackled from the restrictions of broadcast TV, the various steps the network took to push the limit of what’s allowed on screen garnered a fair share of pearl-clutching headlines; see “The Sopranos” in the ’90s and “Euphoria” just a few years back. And since the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, there’s...
Both on the awards circuit and in the public consciousness, HBO is widely regarded as among the first Hollywood heavyweights to recognize that television, as a medium, had the power to deliver sprawling, large scale stories on a smaller screen. From HBO’s ascent in the late 1990s through its dragon-aided roar across the 2010s, the network’s original series tackled universal stories, stretching across continents and decades.
The network hasn’t been without controversy, though. HBO faced questions about its lack of diversity in flagship series, including “Game of Thrones” and “Girls,” throughout the 2010s. And, unshackled from the restrictions of broadcast TV, the various steps the network took to push the limit of what’s allowed on screen garnered a fair share of pearl-clutching headlines; see “The Sopranos” in the ’90s and “Euphoria” just a few years back. And since the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, there’s...
- 5/7/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Who said the heroes’ journey can’t take a little detour? In the trailer for “We Are Lady Parts” Season 2, the eponymous female punk band decides to dabble in villainy — to endlessly entertaining results.
Created by “Polite Society” writer and director Nida Manzoor, “We Are Lady Parts” premiered in the U.K. in 2018 and in the U.S. via Peacock in 2021. IndieWire’s Steve Greene wrote at the time that “Each member of the greater Lady Parts quintet could easily handle an episode on their own,” praising a show which is “at its best when it’s breaking free from restraints, too, tossing in a bunch of playful asides and visual diversions.”
“I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do,” Manzoor said in a press release accompanying the Season 2 trailer.
Season 1 began with Amina (Anjana Vasan) joining Lady Parts without...
Created by “Polite Society” writer and director Nida Manzoor, “We Are Lady Parts” premiered in the U.K. in 2018 and in the U.S. via Peacock in 2021. IndieWire’s Steve Greene wrote at the time that “Each member of the greater Lady Parts quintet could easily handle an episode on their own,” praising a show which is “at its best when it’s breaking free from restraints, too, tossing in a bunch of playful asides and visual diversions.”
“I wanted to go bolder, sillier, darker and deeper and that is exactly what we strived to do,” Manzoor said in a press release accompanying the Season 2 trailer.
Season 1 began with Amina (Anjana Vasan) joining Lady Parts without...
- 5/2/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: The below piece was originally published on November 20, 2018. It has since been updated.]
Evaluating animated TV can be tricky. Not only is animation a medium that crosses a wide range of genres, but so many of our earliest memories in front of a screen are tied to an animated series, short, or special, and that impermeable nostalgia can be difficult to penetrate with typical critical tools like reason, logic, and other objective criteria. Some shows just click. They hit at the right time and capture a blossoming imagination. When it comes to ranking animated series, you’re not just analyzing TV shows. You’re critiquing childhoods.
Of course, animation is also one of the more expansive TV subsets, with dozens of different tones and styles that make comparisons often feel like apples and oranges. There are cartoons, anime, short films, short series, short films turned into short series, web series, adult-oriented animation, and that’s before digging into all the individual genres, like...
Evaluating animated TV can be tricky. Not only is animation a medium that crosses a wide range of genres, but so many of our earliest memories in front of a screen are tied to an animated series, short, or special, and that impermeable nostalgia can be difficult to penetrate with typical critical tools like reason, logic, and other objective criteria. Some shows just click. They hit at the right time and capture a blossoming imagination. When it comes to ranking animated series, you’re not just analyzing TV shows. You’re critiquing childhoods.
Of course, animation is also one of the more expansive TV subsets, with dozens of different tones and styles that make comparisons often feel like apples and oranges. There are cartoons, anime, short films, short series, short films turned into short series, web series, adult-oriented animation, and that’s before digging into all the individual genres, like...
- 3/20/2024
- by Ben Travers and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Whether referring to an A.I.-driven animation demo as “an insult to life itself,” walking out of a movie directed by his own son (“It feels like I was sitting there for about three hours”), or insisting to anyone who will listen that “filmmaking only brings suffering,” legendary director and living meme factory Hayao Miyazaki has long provided the likes of David Cronenberg and Ridley Scott with serious competition as modern cinema’s most reliable crank. And yet, in spite of Miyazaki’s curmudgeonly demeanor and his work’s consistent emphasis on the toxic effects of human civilization in a world cursed by our very existence, there may not be any other auteur whose movies have brought more joy to more people over the last 45 years, or are so widely beloved by children.
It’s a contradiction that’s hard to explain, even if evidence of the magic behind...
It’s a contradiction that’s hard to explain, even if evidence of the magic behind...
- 12/12/2023
- by David Ehrlich, Sarah Shachat and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
From stories about harrowing queer experiences (“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”) to films that are themselves harrowing queer experiences, Peacock has a decent LGBTQ but with more queer storylines than queer shows.
Peacock’s selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer-inclusive movies and TV shows is not nearly as robust as the other catalogues on competing services, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video. And it’s an even further cry from the plethora of original gay content at HBO, which is still the only competitor in the streaming wars brandishing a critically acclaimed comedy about gay pirates.
But at least a handful of the LGBTQ stories currently available on Peacock are good enough to consider visiting the service for that purpose, even if you’re not usually there perusing its stockpile of middling NBC sitcoms. On the TV side, “We Are Lady Parts” stands out as a must-watch series about...
Peacock’s selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer-inclusive movies and TV shows is not nearly as robust as the other catalogues on competing services, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video. And it’s an even further cry from the plethora of original gay content at HBO, which is still the only competitor in the streaming wars brandishing a critically acclaimed comedy about gay pirates.
But at least a handful of the LGBTQ stories currently available on Peacock are good enough to consider visiting the service for that purpose, even if you’re not usually there perusing its stockpile of middling NBC sitcoms. On the TV side, “We Are Lady Parts” stands out as a must-watch series about...
- 12/8/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Hulu may have started out as the redheaded stepchild of the streamers back in Netflix’s heyday, but it has stuck around long enough to have firmly established itself as one of the old standbys. It follows, then, that Hulu would have a veritable fount of LGBTQ content ready to compete with the robust queer catalogues available to subscribers of Netflix, HBO, and other platforms.
A brief perusal of Hulu’s LGBTQ section doesn’t disappoint, but digging in deeper will give you the best chance at a genuinely memorable watch. Right now, the Disney-backed streamer is hosting popular queer television classics, like “The L Word,” “My So-Called Life,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” alongside fresher fare, including “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” and “Killing Eve.” Recent Hulu originals, such as “Love, Victor” and “Shrill,” deserve singling out, if only because you know they’re buzz-worthy and readily available on the service.
A brief perusal of Hulu’s LGBTQ section doesn’t disappoint, but digging in deeper will give you the best chance at a genuinely memorable watch. Right now, the Disney-backed streamer is hosting popular queer television classics, like “The L Word,” “My So-Called Life,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” alongside fresher fare, including “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” and “Killing Eve.” Recent Hulu originals, such as “Love, Victor” and “Shrill,” deserve singling out, if only because you know they’re buzz-worthy and readily available on the service.
- 12/1/2023
- by Wilson Chapman and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
“One more time: animation is a medium, not a genre. Animation is film,” Guillermo del Toro said last year. IndieWire couldn’t agree more, and yet animation — an art form that requires the most precise control of the cinematic medium — is continually disrespected.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
Infamously, 2022’s Best Animated Oscars presentation featured several jokes about the nominees that, in the words of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, framed “the five Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature as a corporate product for kids that parents must begrudgingly endure.” The directing duo called upon the Academy to do better by animation. And this year’s ceremony largely delivered, with less jokes that belittled animation as kiddy stuff and a sterling speech from del Toro himself for his acclaimed stop-motion feature adaptation of “Pinocchio.”
Pixar and Studio Ghibli tend to spring to mind first when discussing great animation, but there’s a world beyond those two giants.
- 11/23/2023
- by Bill Desowitz and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
If watching a movie can be compared to taking your emotions for a walk, then sad films challenge audiences with a full-on sprint. Since before Rose said goodbye to Jack or even Bambi lost his mother, tragedy has played a vital role in cinema’s most well-loved stories of every ilk.
For romance, the possibility of heartbreak raises the stakes, pitting lover against lover or, worse still, lovers against time in dazzling depictions of humanity’s enduring quest for security and acceptance. “Titanic,” “A Star is Born,” “Moonlight,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Up,” and countless other legendary titles have crafted couples so heart-rendingly believable that their joyous reunions and painful partings have provided powerful parallels to our own.
Epic tales of war and survival position total devastation similarly, dangling all-consuming grief and loss like narratively juicy carrots motivating the plodding agony of movies from “War Horse” to “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
For romance, the possibility of heartbreak raises the stakes, pitting lover against lover or, worse still, lovers against time in dazzling depictions of humanity’s enduring quest for security and acceptance. “Titanic,” “A Star is Born,” “Moonlight,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Up,” and countless other legendary titles have crafted couples so heart-rendingly believable that their joyous reunions and painful partings have provided powerful parallels to our own.
Epic tales of war and survival position total devastation similarly, dangling all-consuming grief and loss like narratively juicy carrots motivating the plodding agony of movies from “War Horse” to “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
- 8/18/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
In this time of geekery and craft reigning supreme, film critics and academics no longer reject horror movies with the knee-jerk certainty some once did. But even now the specter of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Scream 5”) looms over discussions of artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The general gist is that these exceptions to the “horror is bad” rule engage your brain more than just showing brains: eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...
- 8/10/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
With his latest film “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan has returned to war; World War II, specifically. Although the J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic doesn’t feature any scenes of soldiers heading into battle, it’s a war movie at its heart, with the conflict in Europe and Asia motivating the morally reprehensible actions of the Manhattan Project in the States. “Oppenheimer” makes, in some ways, a good companion piece to Nolan’s 2016 hit “Dunkirk”: a more conventional (relatively speaking) depiction of the war, from the perspectives of the ordinary soldiers during the Dunkirk evacuation.
From the moment it ended, World War II has proven fertile ground for hundreds of directors, as Hollywood stars have geared up to fight some Nazis. But, perhaps due to the relative recency and large scope of the conflict, the war has also invited an unexpected level of nuance and diversity of perspectives. One of the earliest...
From the moment it ended, World War II has proven fertile ground for hundreds of directors, as Hollywood stars have geared up to fight some Nazis. But, perhaps due to the relative recency and large scope of the conflict, the war has also invited an unexpected level of nuance and diversity of perspectives. One of the earliest...
- 8/3/2023
- by Kate Erbland and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
On July 21, 2023, Apple TV+ premiered “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” a coming-of-age story of Stephen Curry, from an undersized basketball player at a small college, to becoming a larger-than-life NBA superstar. The documentary directed by Peter Nicks currently holds a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our full review round-up below.
See ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 reveals Apple TV+ premiere date, first photo of Jon Hamm
Bill Edelstein of Variety says, “If the measure of a good documentary about a superstar athlete is in synthesizing what makes its subject tick, ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ gets passing grades. And that’s no small compliment, considering the movie spends most of its time at school, a familiar place for director Peter Nicks, whose previous doc, ‘Homeroom,’ served up a very different look at education. With enough fresh stories to keep basketball fanatics engaged and a coda that every soccer mom will appreciate, this is...
See ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 reveals Apple TV+ premiere date, first photo of Jon Hamm
Bill Edelstein of Variety says, “If the measure of a good documentary about a superstar athlete is in synthesizing what makes its subject tick, ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ gets passing grades. And that’s no small compliment, considering the movie spends most of its time at school, a familiar place for director Peter Nicks, whose previous doc, ‘Homeroom,’ served up a very different look at education. With enough fresh stories to keep basketball fanatics engaged and a coda that every soccer mom will appreciate, this is...
- 7/24/2023
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Salma Hayek’s always been fearless but there was one role that gave her pause: Herself.
Or at least a comically awful version of herself that she plays in the first episode of “Black Mirror” Season 6, titled “Joan Is Awful.” IndieWire’s Steve Greene called this episode another in “the show’s ‘ripped from the Wired headlines’ approach to technology.” Annie Murphy plays a tech executive who unwittingly gives away her life rights via the terms and conditions she failed to read (as we all do) for an app called Streamberry.
The app pulls enough data to reconstruct Joan’s life via AI, and it becomes a TV show starring Salma Hayek playing Joan. Yes, Hayek is playing herself, an actor who’s taken the part of playing Joan.
But of course this is a very, very heightened version of Salma Hayek. “I got to explore the concepts and clichés...
Or at least a comically awful version of herself that she plays in the first episode of “Black Mirror” Season 6, titled “Joan Is Awful.” IndieWire’s Steve Greene called this episode another in “the show’s ‘ripped from the Wired headlines’ approach to technology.” Annie Murphy plays a tech executive who unwittingly gives away her life rights via the terms and conditions she failed to read (as we all do) for an app called Streamberry.
The app pulls enough data to reconstruct Joan’s life via AI, and it becomes a TV show starring Salma Hayek playing Joan. Yes, Hayek is playing herself, an actor who’s taken the part of playing Joan.
But of course this is a very, very heightened version of Salma Hayek. “I got to explore the concepts and clichés...
- 6/20/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
In a way, “Succession” will never end. The Roy family’s wealth is too immense to be squelched in a single episode — even a finale that’s as long as a film. That kind of money isn’t even money anymore; it’s capital, power, and, as Kendall put it in his eulogy to Logan, “the lifeblood […] of this wonderful civilization we have built from the mud.” Whomever succeeds the Waystar Royco business titan will grab the reigns of an ecosystem that may not be too big to fail, but certainly protects its own. Barring an asteroid smashing into the planet or a significant time-jump into the post-apocalypse, “Succession’s” ending isn’t likely to halt the Roys’ destructive rampage across this planet. There will be survivors. There will be enterprise. There will be wealth.
But we won’t get to see any of it because “Succession” is still ending.
But we won’t get to see any of it because “Succession” is still ending.
- 5/28/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Every great sports story needs a rival.
From iconic films like “Rocky” or even “Dodgeball” to the real-life drama of trades, drafts, and geographic enmity, the opponent is essential to the underdog athlete odyssey. “Ted Lasso”s AFC Richmond is as underdog as it gets as an English football team with a sweet but minimally-experienced American coach — but that was poised to shift in Season 3. After two seasons of “rom-communism” and soft men, Richmond’s own “wonder kid” Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed) quit in a fit of rage and went to work for West Ham — a juggernaut team run by Richmond owner Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) evil ex Rupert (Anthony Head).
Yet even with the sky-high stakes of league drama and personal history, “Ted Lasso” missed the mark in cultivating a genuinely compelling rivalry. Season 3 flounders for multiple reasons — IndieWire’s Steve Greene wrote that Season 3 put the cast “into...
From iconic films like “Rocky” or even “Dodgeball” to the real-life drama of trades, drafts, and geographic enmity, the opponent is essential to the underdog athlete odyssey. “Ted Lasso”s AFC Richmond is as underdog as it gets as an English football team with a sweet but minimally-experienced American coach — but that was poised to shift in Season 3. After two seasons of “rom-communism” and soft men, Richmond’s own “wonder kid” Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed) quit in a fit of rage and went to work for West Ham — a juggernaut team run by Richmond owner Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) evil ex Rupert (Anthony Head).
Yet even with the sky-high stakes of league drama and personal history, “Ted Lasso” missed the mark in cultivating a genuinely compelling rivalry. Season 3 flounders for multiple reasons — IndieWire’s Steve Greene wrote that Season 3 put the cast “into...
- 5/25/2023
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Summer is a time to savor the great outdoors — to emerge from a wearying winter into the rejuvenating sunlight and appreciate the splendor of a world that’s slowly, steadily, catching on fire. But if you’re a TV fan, summer is also a peculiar time for storytelling. Some new shows feel like they’re trying to match the scope and scale of big-screen blockbusters. Others are incredibly strange experiments, either dumped on or targeted for the time of year when networks aren’t just competing with each other, but barbecues and baseball, fireworks and catching fireflies.
IndieWire’s 2023 Summer TV Preview is here to help. Our TV staff has selected 15 key programs debuting between mid-May and the end of July. About half are returning favorites while the rest are completely new Each one is either an exciting show because of the creatives involved or an important series for the...
IndieWire’s 2023 Summer TV Preview is here to help. Our TV staff has selected 15 key programs debuting between mid-May and the end of July. About half are returning favorites while the rest are completely new Each one is either an exciting show because of the creatives involved or an important series for the...
- 5/3/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Elle Fanning could make a quick return to the Emmys lineup for her hit Hulu comedy series “The Great.” This critically acclaimed period piece was created by Tony McNamara, best known for his Oscar-nominated script for “The Favourite.” Fanning stars as the titular Catherine the Great who has to weigh up personal happiness and her country’s future in 18th Century Russia. In particular, she has to navigate a tumultuous marriage to Nicholas Hoult‘s Emperor Peter III for the benefit of her country.
While Hoult was already used to giving voice to McNamara’s words thanks to his role in the “The Favourite,” Fanning has slipped into his sardonic style with ease. She is so at home with the quick wit and jabby jibes that populates his writing. Critics praise her captivating performance that propels the show forward. Among those singing her praises:
Steve Greene (Indie Wire) observed: “This...
While Hoult was already used to giving voice to McNamara’s words thanks to his role in the “The Favourite,” Fanning has slipped into his sardonic style with ease. She is so at home with the quick wit and jabby jibes that populates his writing. Critics praise her captivating performance that propels the show forward. Among those singing her praises:
Steve Greene (Indie Wire) observed: “This...
- 5/1/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Nicholas Hoult could do great things again with his comedy TV series “The Great.” This Hulu hit comes from “The Favourite” screenwriter Tony McNamara. The series depicts Elle Fanning as the titular Catherine the Great who, in 18th century Russia, is torn between her own happiness and the future of her country when she marries Hoult’s Emperor Peter III of Russia.
As Peter, Hoult has the same wicked playfulness he displayed in “The Favourite.” However, he ramps it up a notch — bringing together a sense of absolute fun with a dose of sardonic wit. It’s as much fun to watch him and Fanning spar as it must have been for them to act out these playful scenes.
Critics certainly took note of Hoult’s hold on the character in season three. Below, just a sampling of his rave reviews:
Jack Seale of The Guardian observed: “A monster of...
As Peter, Hoult has the same wicked playfulness he displayed in “The Favourite.” However, he ramps it up a notch — bringing together a sense of absolute fun with a dose of sardonic wit. It’s as much fun to watch him and Fanning spar as it must have been for them to act out these playful scenes.
Critics certainly took note of Hoult’s hold on the character in season three. Below, just a sampling of his rave reviews:
Jack Seale of The Guardian observed: “A monster of...
- 4/26/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Befitting its meta narrative, the Fxx series “Dave” and its lead character, Dave Burd, tend to follow parallel paths. The first season sees the aspiring rapper (stage name: Lil Dicky) working to prove he’s a legitimate artist, not just a parody of real musicians. Similarly, the show had to prove itself as more than a prestige TV imitator — a low-brow copycat of “Atlanta” or “Curb Your Enthusiasm” distinguished only by its many, many dick jokes. Check and check. Not only is “Dave” telling its own story from its own perspective, co-creators Dave Burd and Jeff Schaffer recognize the opportunity provided when artistic ambition meets gangbuster ratings and designed a stellar Season 2 as a deep-dive into issues like privilege, auteur theory, and appropriation. To prompt such topics, Dave is given an opportunity of his own: a bonafide rap album backed by a record label.
But where the pressure of Dave...
But where the pressure of Dave...
- 4/5/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The Apple TV+ rookie series “Bad Sisters” is garnering a lot of traction at this year’s Emmys. Creator and star Sharon Horgan ranks in our top tier of Best Drama Actress contenders while featured players Anne-Marie Duff and Sarah Greene are in the conversation for Drama Supporting actress, as is the show itself.
One person who deserves more attention thrust upon them is the show’s villain — Claes Bang. The Danish actor, who shot to prominence with his definitive, delicious take on the titular character in Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat‘s “Dracula,” played Jean-Paul Williams — husband to Duff’s Grace and colleague to Horgan’s Eva. Jean-Paul is a controlling, abusive character who tries to dominate the lives of his wife and daughter. It’s his behavior that leads Eva and the rest of the Garvey sisters to plot to kill him.
As the hissable foil to the five Garvey sisters,...
One person who deserves more attention thrust upon them is the show’s villain — Claes Bang. The Danish actor, who shot to prominence with his definitive, delicious take on the titular character in Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat‘s “Dracula,” played Jean-Paul Williams — husband to Duff’s Grace and colleague to Horgan’s Eva. Jean-Paul is a controlling, abusive character who tries to dominate the lives of his wife and daughter. It’s his behavior that leads Eva and the rest of the Garvey sisters to plot to kill him.
As the hissable foil to the five Garvey sisters,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
When Lance Reddick unexpectedly died at the age of 60 on Friday morning, the world lost one of its most consistently excellent film and television stars. The fact that his passing came just days before he was set to return to the big screen in the highly anticipated “John Wick: Chapter 4” only added to the sense of tragedy. But while his acting career was cut short, Reddick left behind an incredible body of work that is always worth revisiting.
To many TV fans, Reddick will always be remembered Cedric Daniels from “The Wire.” In a career-defining performance, Reddick portrayed one of the few voices of principled morality on a show that relished every opportunity to reveal how corruptible everyone in Baltimore seemed to be. As a police officer rising through the ranks despite his steadfast refusal to advance his career through shady dealmaking, he served as a control group that...
To many TV fans, Reddick will always be remembered Cedric Daniels from “The Wire.” In a career-defining performance, Reddick portrayed one of the few voices of principled morality on a show that relished every opportunity to reveal how corruptible everyone in Baltimore seemed to be. As a police officer rising through the ranks despite his steadfast refusal to advance his career through shady dealmaking, he served as a control group that...
- 3/18/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
It appears “Willow’s” magic has already run out again. The Disney+ fantasy series, a sequel to the 1988 Ron Howard film of the same name, will not return for a second season, IndieWire has confirmed.
The news comes two months after the show, which premiered on November 30, concluded its eight-episode run on Disney+ in January. Like the film, “Willow” was produced by Lucasfilm, which has been one of the main drivers of content for Disney’s core streaming service through shows based on the “Star Wars” franchise; others include “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Andor,” and the upcoming “Ahsoka,” “Skeleton Crew,” and “The Acolyte.”
Disney+ ended 2022 with 102.9 subscribers; another 61.3 million are in the ecosystem via Disney+ Hotstar.
The original ’80s film, which was directed by Ron Howard and executive produced by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, told the story of aspiring sorcerer Willow (Warwick Davis), as...
The news comes two months after the show, which premiered on November 30, concluded its eight-episode run on Disney+ in January. Like the film, “Willow” was produced by Lucasfilm, which has been one of the main drivers of content for Disney’s core streaming service through shows based on the “Star Wars” franchise; others include “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Andor,” and the upcoming “Ahsoka,” “Skeleton Crew,” and “The Acolyte.”
Disney+ ended 2022 with 102.9 subscribers; another 61.3 million are in the ecosystem via Disney+ Hotstar.
The original ’80s film, which was directed by Ron Howard and executive produced by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, told the story of aspiring sorcerer Willow (Warwick Davis), as...
- 3/15/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Spring is a time for new beginnings, in TV as much as anywhere else. Networks and streamers know the power of a spring hit that will keep audiences tuning in, bingeing, or talking for weeks and months to come — and 2023 isn’t pulling its punches. Television juggernauts “Succession” and “Yellowjackets” return the same weekend, competing not only with each other but with a slate of new shows that premiere this season while those titans release new episodes weekly.
Among the bountiful harvest: Donald Glover’s latest work since “Atlanta,” about the dark side of all-consuming fandom; a musical romcom about the voices in people’s heads; a Charles Dickens adaptation with none other than Olivia Colman; an epic feud between strangers; a nun fighting the algorithm, and then some. 2023’s spring TV slate is getting weird and staying there, inviting viewers to do the same.
In order of premiere date,...
Among the bountiful harvest: Donald Glover’s latest work since “Atlanta,” about the dark side of all-consuming fandom; a musical romcom about the voices in people’s heads; a Charles Dickens adaptation with none other than Olivia Colman; an epic feud between strangers; a nun fighting the algorithm, and then some. 2023’s spring TV slate is getting weird and staying there, inviting viewers to do the same.
In order of premiere date,...
- 3/6/2023
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
[Editor’s Note: The below piece was originally published on May 12, 2017.]
As long as humans have been passing down stories, those tales have included our capacity to transgress against each other. It’s a tradition literally as old as the Bible.
And beyond documenting how people break the rules that govern our evolving notions of society, we’re constantly fascinated by those charged with righting those wrongs. Whether it follows the detectives who investigate those crimes, those within the judicial system who determine the proper level of punishment, or the friends and family members left in the wake of these actions, this process has become the cornerstone of many of cultural touchstones.
On the TV side, for the better part of two decades when the antihero has reigned supreme, that trend is as prevalent as ever. For every harrowing situation that asks an audience “How would you react in this situation?” there are often dire consequences. There’s no simpler way...
As long as humans have been passing down stories, those tales have included our capacity to transgress against each other. It’s a tradition literally as old as the Bible.
And beyond documenting how people break the rules that govern our evolving notions of society, we’re constantly fascinated by those charged with righting those wrongs. Whether it follows the detectives who investigate those crimes, those within the judicial system who determine the proper level of punishment, or the friends and family members left in the wake of these actions, this process has become the cornerstone of many of cultural touchstones.
On the TV side, for the better part of two decades when the antihero has reigned supreme, that trend is as prevalent as ever. For every harrowing situation that asks an audience “How would you react in this situation?” there are often dire consequences. There’s no simpler way...
- 2/28/2023
- by Ben Travers and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
If you thought the last “Last of Us” — also known as the HBO drama’s series premiere — reached a large audience, get a load of Sunday’s initial numbers.
Episode 2 of “The Last of Us” landed 5.7 million viewers in the U.S. on Sunday night, according to a combination of Nielsen data and HBO’s internal streaming metrics, up 1 million viewers — or +22 percent — from the previous weekend’s series debut. That growth (on a percentage basis) marks the largest Week 2 audience increase for an HBO original drama in the history of the network. Drama is a key word here, so IndieWire dug a little deeper into the archives for context.
In 2009, “Hung,” a comedy, experienced a greater Week 2 engorgement, rising nearly 41 percent from its own series premiere. “Hung” Episode 101 drew 3.7 million viewers; 102 soared to 5.2 million viewers. Those “Hung” episodes followed Season 2 episodes of hit vampire drama “True Blood.” At the time,...
Episode 2 of “The Last of Us” landed 5.7 million viewers in the U.S. on Sunday night, according to a combination of Nielsen data and HBO’s internal streaming metrics, up 1 million viewers — or +22 percent — from the previous weekend’s series debut. That growth (on a percentage basis) marks the largest Week 2 audience increase for an HBO original drama in the history of the network. Drama is a key word here, so IndieWire dug a little deeper into the archives for context.
In 2009, “Hung,” a comedy, experienced a greater Week 2 engorgement, rising nearly 41 percent from its own series premiere. “Hung” Episode 101 drew 3.7 million viewers; 102 soared to 5.2 million viewers. Those “Hung” episodes followed Season 2 episodes of hit vampire drama “True Blood.” At the time,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
On Sunday, “The Last of Us” enjoyed HBO’s second-biggest series premiere since 2010, with 4.7 million viewers. Just one day later, that number had more than doubled, HBO Max announced. Oh yeah, and the adaptation of the 2013 PlayStation game is also currently sitting at 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. (Steve Greene of IndieWire gave the first episode an “A” grade.)
What we’re saying is “The Last of Us” sure ain’t your mom and dad’s video-game adaptation. And HBO can thank Asad Qizilbash for that. In 2019, Qizilbash formed PlayStation Productions inside the walls of Sony. The goal was to never let an excellent PlayStation game end up as a bad movie or TV show.
The 19-year veteran of PlayStation, who previously led the gaming company’s marketing team, had a simple plan. Rather than continue licensing out their biggest games to film executives who haven’t played a video game since “Ms.
What we’re saying is “The Last of Us” sure ain’t your mom and dad’s video-game adaptation. And HBO can thank Asad Qizilbash for that. In 2019, Qizilbash formed PlayStation Productions inside the walls of Sony. The goal was to never let an excellent PlayStation game end up as a bad movie or TV show.
The 19-year veteran of PlayStation, who previously led the gaming company’s marketing team, had a simple plan. Rather than continue licensing out their biggest games to film executives who haven’t played a video game since “Ms.
- 1/18/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Just ahead of its Friday premiere at Sundance Film Festival, “Polite Society” now has a trailer. The first look at the action comedy was released by distributor Focus Features on Wednesday.
The feature directorial debut of Nida Manzoor — the creator behind the critically acclaimed British series “We Are Lady Parts” — “Polite Society” stars Priya Kansara as Ria Khan, a British-Pakistani woman aspiring to become a stunt performer, who has always battled the expectations of her parents with her artistic older sister, Lena. But when Lena goes through a crisis, she gets engaged to Salim (Akshay Khanna), the doctor son of their mom’s snobbish friend (Nimra Bucha).
Devastated by the sudden change in priorities by her sister, the imaginative Ria convinces herself that Salim and his mom have nefarious plans for Lena, and that it’s her duty to save her. With her two best friends (Seraphina Beh and Ella Bruccoleri) reluctantly in tow,...
The feature directorial debut of Nida Manzoor — the creator behind the critically acclaimed British series “We Are Lady Parts” — “Polite Society” stars Priya Kansara as Ria Khan, a British-Pakistani woman aspiring to become a stunt performer, who has always battled the expectations of her parents with her artistic older sister, Lena. But when Lena goes through a crisis, she gets engaged to Salim (Akshay Khanna), the doctor son of their mom’s snobbish friend (Nimra Bucha).
Devastated by the sudden change in priorities by her sister, the imaginative Ria convinces herself that Salim and his mom have nefarious plans for Lena, and that it’s her duty to save her. With her two best friends (Seraphina Beh and Ella Bruccoleri) reluctantly in tow,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“The Last of Us” takes place in a nightmarish apocalypse, but its audience seems alive and plentiful. 4.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the video game adaptation’s premiere episode during its first day of availability, HBO announced Monday.
The viewership data is based on Nielsen figures and HBO’s own internal figures, and includes both linear viewers on HBO proper and views from HBO Max on Sunday, January 15, when the episode premiered. The figure makes “The Last of Us'” first episode, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” the second biggest premiere episode for HBO since 2010’s “Boardwalk Empire,” which debuted with 4.81 million viewers. If that seems like a weird show to remain un-beat for over a decade, recall that this was back before the launch of HBO Max or its predecessor HBO Now, when content from the channel wasn’t as broadly available on streaming and premiere day viewing was much higher.
The viewership data is based on Nielsen figures and HBO’s own internal figures, and includes both linear viewers on HBO proper and views from HBO Max on Sunday, January 15, when the episode premiered. The figure makes “The Last of Us'” first episode, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” the second biggest premiere episode for HBO since 2010’s “Boardwalk Empire,” which debuted with 4.81 million viewers. If that seems like a weird show to remain un-beat for over a decade, recall that this was back before the launch of HBO Max or its predecessor HBO Now, when content from the channel wasn’t as broadly available on streaming and premiere day viewing was much higher.
- 1/17/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Orlando Bloom is exiting “Carnival Row” just as the circus is coming to an end.
The Prime Video fantasy series, co-starring Cara Delevingne, is set to conclude after Season 2. Per the official synopsis, in a fantasy world where humans and creatures clash, Season 2 of “Carnival Row” picks up with former inspector Rycroft Philostrate aka Philo (Bloom) investigating a series of gruesome murders stoking social tension. Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne) and the Black Raven plot payback for the unjust oppression inflicted by The Burgue’s human leaders, Jonah Breakspear (Arty Froushan) and Sophie Longerbane (Caroline Ford).
Tourmaline Larou (Karla Crome) inherits supernatural powers that threaten her fate and the future of The Row. And, after escaping The Burgue and her vengeful brother Ezra (Andrew Gower), Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant) and her partner Agreus Astrayon (David Gyasi) encounter a radical new society which upends their plans. With humans and fae folk divided and freedom on the line,...
The Prime Video fantasy series, co-starring Cara Delevingne, is set to conclude after Season 2. Per the official synopsis, in a fantasy world where humans and creatures clash, Season 2 of “Carnival Row” picks up with former inspector Rycroft Philostrate aka Philo (Bloom) investigating a series of gruesome murders stoking social tension. Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne) and the Black Raven plot payback for the unjust oppression inflicted by The Burgue’s human leaders, Jonah Breakspear (Arty Froushan) and Sophie Longerbane (Caroline Ford).
Tourmaline Larou (Karla Crome) inherits supernatural powers that threaten her fate and the future of The Row. And, after escaping The Burgue and her vengeful brother Ezra (Andrew Gower), Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant) and her partner Agreus Astrayon (David Gyasi) encounter a radical new society which upends their plans. With humans and fae folk divided and freedom on the line,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Heartbreak feels gory in a place like this.
Penn Badgley is back as Joe Goldberg in Season 4 of critically acclaimed Netflix series “You.” As Joe internationally stalks his past lover Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), he must reinvent himself yet again. Joe reintroduces himself under a new identity, with him now acting as a teacher named Professor Jonathan Moore in the U.K.
Per the official Season 4 synopsis, after his previous life went up in flames, Joe Goldberg has fled to Europe to escape his “messy” past, adopt a new identity, and, of course, to pursue true love. But Joe soon finds himself in the strange new role of reluctant detective as he discovers he may not be the only killer in London. Now, his future depends on identifying and stopping whoever’s targeting his new friend group of uber-wealthy socialites…
Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, Stephen Hagan, and Tilly Keeper round out the ensemble cast.
Penn Badgley is back as Joe Goldberg in Season 4 of critically acclaimed Netflix series “You.” As Joe internationally stalks his past lover Marienne (Tati Gabrielle), he must reinvent himself yet again. Joe reintroduces himself under a new identity, with him now acting as a teacher named Professor Jonathan Moore in the U.K.
Per the official Season 4 synopsis, after his previous life went up in flames, Joe Goldberg has fled to Europe to escape his “messy” past, adopt a new identity, and, of course, to pursue true love. But Joe soon finds himself in the strange new role of reluctant detective as he discovers he may not be the only killer in London. Now, his future depends on identifying and stopping whoever’s targeting his new friend group of uber-wealthy socialites…
Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, Stephen Hagan, and Tilly Keeper round out the ensemble cast.
- 1/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Quentin Tarantino has saved cinema, and now he’s saving Netflix’s “Kaleidoscope” — at least in order for it to make sense.
The non-linear series starring Giancarlo Esposito has fascinated audiences since its New Year’s premiere, with its eight episodes charting the story of a 70-billion bond heist during Hurricane Sandy. With the robbery 24 years in the making, the series bounces back and forth between timelines, showing the thieves in various intervals including six months post-heist. Created by Eric Garcia (screenwriter of 2010’s “Repo Men”), the series is also executive produced by Ridley Scott.
Yet Netflix is looking to another auteur to explain the series. On Twitter, Netflix unveiled various color-coded maps for episode guides to best understand “Kaleidoscope,” including one suggestion to approach the show like “a Quentin Tarantino film.” See below.
“I came up with a bunch of different orders to watch ‘Kaleidoscope’ in so you don’t have to,...
The non-linear series starring Giancarlo Esposito has fascinated audiences since its New Year’s premiere, with its eight episodes charting the story of a 70-billion bond heist during Hurricane Sandy. With the robbery 24 years in the making, the series bounces back and forth between timelines, showing the thieves in various intervals including six months post-heist. Created by Eric Garcia (screenwriter of 2010’s “Repo Men”), the series is also executive produced by Ridley Scott.
Yet Netflix is looking to another auteur to explain the series. On Twitter, Netflix unveiled various color-coded maps for episode guides to best understand “Kaleidoscope,” including one suggestion to approach the show like “a Quentin Tarantino film.” See below.
“I came up with a bunch of different orders to watch ‘Kaleidoscope’ in so you don’t have to,...
- 1/3/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The steamship Kerberos has already sunk. Netflix has canceled “1899,” the sci-fi period drama from the creators of “Dark,” after just one season, it was announced Monday.
Baran bo Odar, who co-created the series along with his partner Jantje Friese, announced the news via a post on his Instagram account. “With a heavy heart we have to tell you that 1899 will not be renewed,” the statement from Odar and Friese reads. “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned. That’s life. We know that will disappoint millions of fans out there. But we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you were a part of this wonderful adventure. We love you. Never forget.”
“1899” premiered in November, and was only streaming...
Baran bo Odar, who co-created the series along with his partner Jantje Friese, announced the news via a post on his Instagram account. “With a heavy heart we have to tell you that 1899 will not be renewed,” the statement from Odar and Friese reads. “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned. That’s life. We know that will disappoint millions of fans out there. But we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you were a part of this wonderful adventure. We love you. Never forget.”
“1899” premiered in November, and was only streaming...
- 1/2/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, there’s only one thing we’re thinking about: All the amazing TV that lies ahead for 2023.
Nowadays, TV is practically the only thing we can rely on; that new and returning shows will delight and unite audiences in otherwise confusing times. Whether your life is consumed by some newbie called “Severance” or invigorated by the impending return of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, TV will be unflinchingly at your side, as it has in years passed and will be in years to come. IndieWire’s TV team picked the series we’re most excited about — mostly new, but with a few oldies we couldn’t resist including — and already the year seems a bit brighter.
Here are IndieWire’s 11 most anticipated TV shows of 2023.
Erin Strecker, Ben Travers, and Steve Greene contributed to this article.
1. “Masters of the Air...
Nowadays, TV is practically the only thing we can rely on; that new and returning shows will delight and unite audiences in otherwise confusing times. Whether your life is consumed by some newbie called “Severance” or invigorated by the impending return of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, TV will be unflinchingly at your side, as it has in years passed and will be in years to come. IndieWire’s TV team picked the series we’re most excited about — mostly new, but with a few oldies we couldn’t resist including — and already the year seems a bit brighter.
Here are IndieWire’s 11 most anticipated TV shows of 2023.
Erin Strecker, Ben Travers, and Steve Greene contributed to this article.
1. “Masters of the Air...
- 12/27/2022
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Of all our craft Best of 2022 lists, film scores was the one where there was the widest list of nominees and least amount of consensus about a top 10. There was just such a wide variety of great work done that delineating what was best wasn’t always clear.
What was clear from our picks, however, was that a number of the best composers working today — from Michael Giacchino to Michael Abels — were on their game in 2022; it was also apparent that this was a year of innovative uses of film music that played a subtle and almost sound design-like role. And by no surprise, so much of that best work came from director-composer collaborations that started early and stretched over many months, sometimes over year, and evolved to find the best way for the music sit in the film.
Chris O’Falt, Steve Greene, David Ehrlich, and Erik Adams also contributed to this article.
What was clear from our picks, however, was that a number of the best composers working today — from Michael Giacchino to Michael Abels — were on their game in 2022; it was also apparent that this was a year of innovative uses of film music that played a subtle and almost sound design-like role. And by no surprise, so much of that best work came from director-composer collaborations that started early and stretched over many months, sometimes over year, and evolved to find the best way for the music sit in the film.
Chris O’Falt, Steve Greene, David Ehrlich, and Erik Adams also contributed to this article.
- 12/20/2022
- by Sarah Shachat, Jim Hemphill and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“Quantum Leap” just fast-forwarded to Season 2. NBC has renewed its new “Quantum Leap,” the revival of the ’90s science-fiction series, for a second season.
This “Quantum Leap,” which stars Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, has been a strong performer for both NBC and for Peacock, where episodes stream next-day. “Quantum Leap” (2022) sees Song following up on the work of Scott Bakula’s lead character Dr. Sam Beckett — and his time-travel adventures — 30 years later.
“Quantum Leap” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC, following “The Voice.” Currently on a winter break, “Leap” returns January 2. (“The Voice” is airing its two-part season finale tonight and tomorrow night.) To-date, “Quantum Leap” pilot episode has amassed more than 10 million viewers across the broadcast network and NBCUniversal’s streaming service. That’s pretty good these days, but execs will love to leap back to the Nielsen ratings sheets of 1989.
“We’re leaping into a...
This “Quantum Leap,” which stars Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, has been a strong performer for both NBC and for Peacock, where episodes stream next-day. “Quantum Leap” (2022) sees Song following up on the work of Scott Bakula’s lead character Dr. Sam Beckett — and his time-travel adventures — 30 years later.
“Quantum Leap” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC, following “The Voice.” Currently on a winter break, “Leap” returns January 2. (“The Voice” is airing its two-part season finale tonight and tomorrow night.) To-date, “Quantum Leap” pilot episode has amassed more than 10 million viewers across the broadcast network and NBCUniversal’s streaming service. That’s pretty good these days, but execs will love to leap back to the Nielsen ratings sheets of 1989.
“We’re leaping into a...
- 12/12/2022
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
“You must, in fact, stand before the public and God and obliterate yourself.” So suggests Cate Blanchett’s Lydia Tár, in one of the great and most thematically controversial scenes of “TÁR,” about how performers and practitioners of the arts should set aside their identities in service of a greater good: the Art Itself, in spite of the artist themselves.
Things for an artist of Lydia Tár’s standing certainly don’t turn out so well in her favor, sure, and while we don’t necessarily endorse her statement, it could be applied to this year’s best performers onscreen — they stand before a certain public (the movie- or TV-going audience) and they obliterate themselves (in the hope of a performance good enough to move people).
Each year of exceptional film and television brings another batch of indelible performances, many of which become synonymous with the movie or series itself.
Things for an artist of Lydia Tár’s standing certainly don’t turn out so well in her favor, sure, and while we don’t necessarily endorse her statement, it could be applied to this year’s best performers onscreen — they stand before a certain public (the movie- or TV-going audience) and they obliterate themselves (in the hope of a performance good enough to move people).
Each year of exceptional film and television brings another batch of indelible performances, many of which become synonymous with the movie or series itself.
- 12/6/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
Choosing the best TV episodes is very different from choosing the best TV.
The best episodes might be outstanding hours of shows that fluctuate in quality, or a pivotal character moment or story beat that contextualizes everything else. Sometimes the best episode is part of an almost embarrassing bounty — just one of many consistently brilliant installments in a TV show that blew away both audiences and critics.
IndieWire’s look at the best TV episodes of 2022 is all those things, populated by our usual suspects of top 2022 TV as well as hours we couldn’t forget and shows we gladly binged in a weekend. There is drama, there is comedy, there is literal “Euphoria.” This list has it all. What it doesn’t have, however, is more than one episode from the same show, in an effort to spread the wealth.
Here are the best TV episodes of 2022 so far,...
The best episodes might be outstanding hours of shows that fluctuate in quality, or a pivotal character moment or story beat that contextualizes everything else. Sometimes the best episode is part of an almost embarrassing bounty — just one of many consistently brilliant installments in a TV show that blew away both audiences and critics.
IndieWire’s look at the best TV episodes of 2022 is all those things, populated by our usual suspects of top 2022 TV as well as hours we couldn’t forget and shows we gladly binged in a weekend. There is drama, there is comedy, there is literal “Euphoria.” This list has it all. What it doesn’t have, however, is more than one episode from the same show, in an effort to spread the wealth.
Here are the best TV episodes of 2022 so far,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Proma Khosla and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
“Bad Sisters,” the Apple TV+ dark comedy series created by and starring Sharon Horgan, has been renewed for Season 2, the streamer announced. The news comes less than a month after its 10-episode first season concluded on October 14.
Based on the 2012 Flemish TV series “Clan,” “Bad Sisters” stars Horgan as Eva Garvey, the eldest of five sisters, who ends up in the middle of a life insurance investigation when her brother-in-law John Paul (Claes Bang) dies under uncertain circumstances. As overzealous insurance agent Thomas (Brian Gleeson) tries to prove Eva and her sisters’ involvement in the death, the show flips from the weeks following his funeral to the weeks leading up to his death, when Eva plotted to murder John Paul with Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson) in revenge for his abusive treatment of their sister Grace (Anne Marie-Duff).
“If you’d have told me three...
Based on the 2012 Flemish TV series “Clan,” “Bad Sisters” stars Horgan as Eva Garvey, the eldest of five sisters, who ends up in the middle of a life insurance investigation when her brother-in-law John Paul (Claes Bang) dies under uncertain circumstances. As overzealous insurance agent Thomas (Brian Gleeson) tries to prove Eva and her sisters’ involvement in the death, the show flips from the weeks following his funeral to the weeks leading up to his death, when Eva plotted to murder John Paul with Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson) in revenge for his abusive treatment of their sister Grace (Anne Marie-Duff).
“If you’d have told me three...
- 11/8/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“Carnival Row,” the Prime Video series starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, will conclude after two seasons on the streamer. The second season of the fantasy show premieres on February 17, Amazon announced Monday.
The series first premiered in August 2019 and focuses on the titular city of Carnival Row, where mythological beings exist as oppressed refugees in a human-dominated social order. Bloom stars as Rycroft Philostrate, a detective in the city and a half-fae, who begins investigating a conspiracy involving a group of fae known as the Black Raven — one of whom is his former lover Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne). Season 2 picks up where the first left off, with Rycroft off the force but still investigating a series of murders, while the Black Raven escalates their plans to protest oppression in the city.
Season 2 of “Carnival Row” began production shortly after the Season 1 premiere in 2019. However, the show ended up as one...
The series first premiered in August 2019 and focuses on the titular city of Carnival Row, where mythological beings exist as oppressed refugees in a human-dominated social order. Bloom stars as Rycroft Philostrate, a detective in the city and a half-fae, who begins investigating a conspiracy involving a group of fae known as the Black Raven — one of whom is his former lover Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne). Season 2 picks up where the first left off, with Rycroft off the force but still investigating a series of murders, while the Black Raven escalates their plans to protest oppression in the city.
Season 2 of “Carnival Row” began production shortly after the Season 1 premiere in 2019. However, the show ended up as one...
- 11/7/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
So much of our collective love of horror is grounded in the visual: A splash of gore, an inventive creature design, an image so startling and unexpected it lingers long after the lights come back up. It’s only right for a genre that takes our greatest fears and gives them shape (perhaps even The Shape). But there’s a frightening power in the unseen as well, and many of horror’s crowning achievements have demonstrated that nothing sweetens a scare or ratchets the tension of a chilling set piece quite like a good instrumental score.
Horror has long been at the forefront of innovations in makeup, visual effects, sound design, and cinematography, and its impact on film and television music is no different. One of the earliest electronic instruments, the theremin, gave otherworldly texture to “The Spiral Staircase” and “The Thing From Another World” before its synthesizer and sequencer...
Horror has long been at the forefront of innovations in makeup, visual effects, sound design, and cinematography, and its impact on film and television music is no different. One of the earliest electronic instruments, the theremin, gave otherworldly texture to “The Spiral Staircase” and “The Thing From Another World” before its synthesizer and sequencer...
- 10/19/2022
- by Erik Adams
- Indiewire
Halloween is the season for horror, of course. But October also means fall TV is in full swing, so it’s also the season for comedy, animation, drama, and more. TV shows of all kinds honor this spooky time of year, be it through explicit celebrations of the season or more abstract explorations of dark themes like existential dread, societal corruption, and the hubris of humanity.
Instead of just binging television horror this season — “Yellowjackets” is for winter! — why not truly frighten yourself with scary episodes of (generally) non-scary shows? “Black Mirror” regularly borders on nightmarish, but falls squarely into the sci-fi category, and still one episode haunts us like the scariest movies do. “Chernobyl” recounts real-world horror, which makes it a historical drama, but we’d argue that Episode 4 is a haunting on par with Mike Flanagan’s “Hill House.” Even comedies like “Boy Meets World” and “American Vandal...
Instead of just binging television horror this season — “Yellowjackets” is for winter! — why not truly frighten yourself with scary episodes of (generally) non-scary shows? “Black Mirror” regularly borders on nightmarish, but falls squarely into the sci-fi category, and still one episode haunts us like the scariest movies do. “Chernobyl” recounts real-world horror, which makes it a historical drama, but we’d argue that Episode 4 is a haunting on par with Mike Flanagan’s “Hill House.” Even comedies like “Boy Meets World” and “American Vandal...
- 10/18/2022
- by Proma Khosla and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Why do horror movies still feel undervalued? One thing’s for certain: In this age of geekery and craft reigning supreme, critics and academics no longer dismiss the genre as disreputable with the kneejerk regularity some once did. But even now there’s talk of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in “Scream 5″) appearing in artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The idea being that they engage your brain more than just showing brains…eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? We forget all the time that, as Anna Karina’s “Pierrot Le Fou” character Marianne Renoir says,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson, Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
As if. While the ‘90s may still be linked with a wide variety of dubious holdovers — including curious slang, questionable fashion choices, and sinister political agendas — many of the decade’s cultural contributions have cast an outsized shadow on the first stretch of the 21st century. Nowhere is that phenomenon more obvious or explicable than it is at the movies.
The ’90s began with a revolt against the kind of bland Hollywood product that people might kill to see in theaters today, creaking open a small window of time in which a more commercially viable American independent cinema began seeping into mainstream fare. Young and exciting directors, many of whom are now major auteurs and perennial IndieWire favorites, were given the resources to make multiple films — some of them on massive scales. Meanwhile, the industry establishment responded to the sudden influx of new talent by entrusting its biggest tentpoles to...
The ’90s began with a revolt against the kind of bland Hollywood product that people might kill to see in theaters today, creaking open a small window of time in which a more commercially viable American independent cinema began seeping into mainstream fare. Young and exciting directors, many of whom are now major auteurs and perennial IndieWire favorites, were given the resources to make multiple films — some of them on massive scales. Meanwhile, the industry establishment responded to the sudden influx of new talent by entrusting its biggest tentpoles to...
- 8/15/2022
- by David Ehrlich, Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
It’s been nearly a decade since Nathan Fielder, prank comedian and graduate “from one of Canada’s top business schools with really good grades,” revolutionized reality TV with Comedy Central’s “Nathan for You.”
Back in the pop culture conversation thanks to Fielder’s triumphant return in HBO’s “The Rehearsal,” the cult favorite comedy series documented four seasons of Fielder’s — let’s say — unique efforts to help small business owners pull in customers from 2013 to 2017.
Akin to a deranged “Kitchen Nightmares,” each episode of “Nathan for You” chronicles the progress of one or more of Fielder’s outlandish ideas from ludicrous inception to amused/baffled/livid reception. Discount mall Santa photos in July, a hot dog stand prioritizing customers by the importance of where they’re going, poop-flavored frozen yogurt: These are just a handful of the more understated ideas Fielder brings to his (un)lucky participants across 32 “Nathan for You” episodes.
Back in the pop culture conversation thanks to Fielder’s triumphant return in HBO’s “The Rehearsal,” the cult favorite comedy series documented four seasons of Fielder’s — let’s say — unique efforts to help small business owners pull in customers from 2013 to 2017.
Akin to a deranged “Kitchen Nightmares,” each episode of “Nathan for You” chronicles the progress of one or more of Fielder’s outlandish ideas from ludicrous inception to amused/baffled/livid reception. Discount mall Santa photos in July, a hot dog stand prioritizing customers by the importance of where they’re going, poop-flavored frozen yogurt: These are just a handful of the more understated ideas Fielder brings to his (un)lucky participants across 32 “Nathan for You” episodes.
- 7/29/2022
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
With the final round of 2022 Emmy voting on the horizon, IndieWire TV writers Ben Travers and Steve Greene decided the time was right for a Double Take discussion on — and a call to arms for — the beloved, long-running AMC drama “Better Call Saul.” This is that discussion.
Ben Travers: A great philosopher once said, “Ain’t nuthin’ over ’til it’s over,” and for the great AMC cable drama “Better Call Saul,” the final bell won’t ring until 2023 — at least, when it comes to the Emmys. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s acclaimed prequel to “Breaking Bad” has only three episodes left before it’s lights out, with the series finale set to air Monday, August 15. But splitting its final season into two parts — the first of which wrapped in May — means Season 6a is eligible for this year’s Emmys and Season 6b will be eligible for next year’s awards.
Ben Travers: A great philosopher once said, “Ain’t nuthin’ over ’til it’s over,” and for the great AMC cable drama “Better Call Saul,” the final bell won’t ring until 2023 — at least, when it comes to the Emmys. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s acclaimed prequel to “Breaking Bad” has only three episodes left before it’s lights out, with the series finale set to air Monday, August 15. But splitting its final season into two parts — the first of which wrapped in May — means Season 6a is eligible for this year’s Emmys and Season 6b will be eligible for next year’s awards.
- 7/28/2022
- by Steve Greene and Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Olivier Assayas did what seems like the impossible: The writer-director remade his own 1996 film “Irma Vep” as an HBO limited series.
Why? Well, Assayas saw the need to update the meta message of fame, mirrored celebrity, and even international filmmaking collaborations for the modern age. He felt the original film, starring his now ex-wife Maggie Cheung, has “nothing to do with the world.”
“We are in a moment of very deep transformation of whatever we call cinema, in terms of aesthetics, in terms of financing, in terms of viewing,” Assayas explained to the Los Angeles Times. “‘Irma Vep,’ the original one and same with this one, has one foot in the past and one foot in the present.”
A reimagined film would have been “impossible,” according to Assayas, who then opted for television. “No one would have financed it,” he stated. “It would’ve made no sense.”
The “Personal Shopper...
Why? Well, Assayas saw the need to update the meta message of fame, mirrored celebrity, and even international filmmaking collaborations for the modern age. He felt the original film, starring his now ex-wife Maggie Cheung, has “nothing to do with the world.”
“We are in a moment of very deep transformation of whatever we call cinema, in terms of aesthetics, in terms of financing, in terms of viewing,” Assayas explained to the Los Angeles Times. “‘Irma Vep,’ the original one and same with this one, has one foot in the past and one foot in the present.”
A reimagined film would have been “impossible,” according to Assayas, who then opted for television. “No one would have financed it,” he stated. “It would’ve made no sense.”
The “Personal Shopper...
- 7/28/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kristen Stewart made an unexpected appearance in HBO’s “Irma Vep” finale, marking a reunion with “Personal Shopper” writer-director Olivier Assayas.
“Irma Vep” lead star Alicia Vikander detailed how Stewart’s cameo came to be, telling Entertainment Weekly that Stewart’s role was “always what Olivier had in mind” for the Oscar nominee. Stewart plays Lianna, a pop star who is romantically involved with the former lover of Mira (Vikander). Lianna suffers a miscarriage while on tour.
Per EW, Stewart’s own life offscreen is what, in part, inspired elements of Mira in the miniseries reimagining of Assayas’ 1996 film of the same name. Stewart previously collaborated with Assayas on the Cesar Award-winning “Clouds of Sils Maria” and 2017’s “Personal Shopper.”
“He knew it was a small part and they know each other very well, but it was more about writing it though he didn’t know if she’d say...
“Irma Vep” lead star Alicia Vikander detailed how Stewart’s cameo came to be, telling Entertainment Weekly that Stewart’s role was “always what Olivier had in mind” for the Oscar nominee. Stewart plays Lianna, a pop star who is romantically involved with the former lover of Mira (Vikander). Lianna suffers a miscarriage while on tour.
Per EW, Stewart’s own life offscreen is what, in part, inspired elements of Mira in the miniseries reimagining of Assayas’ 1996 film of the same name. Stewart previously collaborated with Assayas on the Cesar Award-winning “Clouds of Sils Maria” and 2017’s “Personal Shopper.”
“He knew it was a small part and they know each other very well, but it was more about writing it though he didn’t know if she’d say...
- 7/26/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Cringe comedy titan Nathan Fielder is back, and he’s been practicing.
On Wednesday, HBO debuted the first trailer for “The Rehearsal,” a new unscripted series starring Fielder, who also serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Like Comedy Central’s cult hit “Nathan for You,” which amassed a loyal following during its four-season run, the show meets Fielder at the intersection of good intentions and intensely awkward missteps. In each episode, Fielder will help his subjects rehearse for big moments in their lives — a scary decision, a difficult conversation, etc. — using trained actors and elaborate replicas of real places.
“It was a very expensive pilot,” Fielder said in an interview with Vulture. The first episode includes a recreation of Brooklyn’s Alligator Lounge, where a participant plans to have a hard talk with a friend. “One of the crew members told me the cost to replicate that bar was...
On Wednesday, HBO debuted the first trailer for “The Rehearsal,” a new unscripted series starring Fielder, who also serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Like Comedy Central’s cult hit “Nathan for You,” which amassed a loyal following during its four-season run, the show meets Fielder at the intersection of good intentions and intensely awkward missteps. In each episode, Fielder will help his subjects rehearse for big moments in their lives — a scary decision, a difficult conversation, etc. — using trained actors and elaborate replicas of real places.
“It was a very expensive pilot,” Fielder said in an interview with Vulture. The first episode includes a recreation of Brooklyn’s Alligator Lounge, where a participant plans to have a hard talk with a friend. “One of the crew members told me the cost to replicate that bar was...
- 7/6/2022
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Fans across the “Better Call Saul” universe were left picking their jaws up from the floor after [Spoiler Alert] lawyer Howard Hamlin, played by Patrick Fabian, met his sudden and unfortunate end when he was shot in the head by Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) in the mid-season finale. The episode, titled “Plan and Execution,” centered around Howard being victim to Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) and Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) scheme after such detailed planning, which involved drugging Howard and making him look unreliable at his job. Fabian gave a heralded performance as someone who finally caught on to their ruse too late, and desperately and unsuccessfully tried to salvage his credibility to no avail. It all ended with a gut-wrenching monologue, which may result in Fabian’s first Emmy nomination for Best Drama Supporting Actor.
See Why ‘Better Call Saul’ can make a strong Emmys comeback for final season
As the...
See Why ‘Better Call Saul’ can make a strong Emmys comeback for final season
As the...
- 6/6/2022
- by Christopher Tsang
- Gold Derby
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